Toy remote control crane



4, 1958 A. N. GIARDINA 2,858,642

TQY REMOTE CONTROL CRANE Filed Feb. 28, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 TO DRIVE UNIT 4 10 INVENTOR flndreu M Gz'arcfin a.

ATTORNEY Nov. 4, 1958 Filed Feb. 28, 1955 A. N. GIARDINA 2,858,642

TOY REMOTE CONTROL CRANE I 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR fina/reu N. Gmrclz'na,

. ATTORNEY United States Patent 2,858,642 7 I TOY REMOTE CONTROL CRANE 7 Andrew N. Giardina, Pittsburgh, Pa. Application February 28, 1955, Serial No. 490,755

2 Claims. 01. 46-40) This invention relates to a toy remote control crane or steam shovel, and more particularly to an electromagnetically operated bucket control device for toy cranes, steam shovels and the like, such as those mounted on toy vehicles. This is a continuation-in-part of my patent application Serial No. 340,076, filed March 3, 1953, now Patent No. 2,718,729, on a'Remotely Controlled Toy Vehicle. Y

wAH outstanding disadvantage of known types of shovel or bucket controls for toycranes or steam shovels is that they do. not permit suflicient versatility and are not automatic in operation,- therefore involve considerable manual efiort on the part of a child to effect scooping, lifting and lowering operations of .the shovel orbucket.

An object of my invention is to provide a novel vehicular toy, and, more ,particularly'a novel clamshell bucket control system which is devoid of the disadvantages of similar well-known toys and which is fully auto matic in operation and provides a very high degree of realism in operation with very'little control efiorLr A more specificobject of my invention is to provide an electromagnetically operated clamshell bucket operating device suspended from a boom and arranged so that lifting and lowering movements of the suspending cable will effect automatic opening and closing movements of the bucket.

' Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from a study of the following description taken with the accompanying drawings, where- Figure 1 is a top plan view of a remote control crane or shovelembodying the principles of my invention;

Figure 2 is a side elevational view showing, somewhat schematically, the electrical control system;

- Figures 3 to 7 inclusive show successive operating positions of the clamshell bucket during lowering and lifting movements of the cable; and,

Figure 8 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view of a modified form of magnet 28 shown in Figure 5.

' Referring more particularly to Figures 1 and 2 which show a toy crane or steam shovel unit, numeral 1 denotes a' chassis mounted on tractor wheels 2 which drive endless rubber treads 3, one on each side, for propelling the" toy vehicle on the floor surface. Wheels 2 are driven by a crane drive unit 4-powered by a reversible direct current motor (not shown) which is geared by suitable reduction gearing to drive wheels 2. A pair of terminals 5 are connected to the driving motor.

Rotatably mounted -on chassis 1 is a cab 6 which may be rotated relative to the top platform of chassis 1 by the turning of a knurled handwheel 7. The crane cab has a bucket drive unit 8, shown in dotted outline, powered by a second reversible direct current motor (notv shown) which motor is energized through terminals 9 which are connected to a battery 10 through a reversing switch 11 and a selector switch 12. Reversingv switch 11, selector switch 12 and battery 10 are all mounted in a portable housing 13, preferably 2 of plastic material, divided in half longitudinally, the halves being held by lateral projections 13a integral with one half and fitted in correspondingly shaped grooves formed in corresponding lateral projections in the other half so that collapsing the sidewalls of the one half will withdraw the projections 13a from looking engagement in the grooves. The reversing switch 11 includes flexible contact elements 11a which may be pressed by either reversing switch button 14a-or 14b to efiect contact of the upper portions of the leaves with either stationary contacts 14 or 15, respectively. Buttons 14a and 14b may comprise an integral plastic unit, moveably mounted within and with respect to the surrounding stationary housing portion 13b. Also contained within the housing in a compartment 13b is a selector switch 12 having stationary contacts 12b and 120 and rotatable ball 12d adapted to make contact either with contacts 12b or 120, merely by imparting a twisting motion to housing 13 about its longitudinal axis and in opposite lateral directions. The battery 10 may comprise a pair of dry cells connected'in series and in the circuit shown in Figure 2' including reversing switch 11 and selector switch 12. If

desired, a mercury switch may be used instead of the rollableball operated switch 12.

In operation, the child may hold the housing 13 in its hand at a substantial distance from the chassis 1 by virtue of a long flexible cable C which contains conductors 5 and 9. When the child laterally tilts housing: 13 so that the rolling ball contact 12d engages the upper stationary contacts 12b, as shown in Figure 2, a circuit will be completed through reversing switch 11 to the electric motor of the drive unit 4. And depending upon whether button 14a or 14b is depressed, so as to close either the upper or lower contacts 14 and 15, respectively, of the reversing switchll the reversible drive" motor of drive 4 will turn wheels 2 and propel the crane or steam shovel either in a forward or rearward direction, as desired.

Whenit is desired to operate the reversing motor of of the drive unit 8 will be driven either in one direction to lift the bucket or in an opposite direction to lower it as will appear more clearly hereinafter.

Rotatably mounted on the platform of chassis 1 on bearings 16, preferably of plastic material, is a steeel shaft 17 rotatably supporting a crane boom 20 on bearing 16, also rotatably supporting a pulley 19 about which. is passed a chain or cable 21 which is wound about a drum (not shown) within the drive unit 8. Plastic shaft retainers 17a are provided adjacent opposite ends of shaft 17.

The boom 20'may be pivotally raised or lowered by means of a chain 17a which is wound about a pulley 20a at the top end of a boom and a chain reel 18, which reel has a shaft mounted in plastic bearings 18a and has a rigid sleeve 18b against which is frictionally pressed electric drive motor of the drive unit 8 rotates in one direction, it winds the cab or chain 21 so as to raise the clamshell bucket, and when the motor is driven in an.

Patented Nov. ,4, 1958- opposite direction, chain 21 is unwound and will lower the-bucket. Moreover, the cab 6 may be rotatedso as t movement of-thehandwheel 7. For-w'ard-and reverse drive movement of thevehicle is obtained by reversing the direction. of the driving motor of unit 3. In this manner #the operation of the steam shovel or crane is completelycontrolle'd in i every-respect.

Referring more particularly to Figures? to 7 inclusive which show" the operationi of the clamshell bucket, numeral 20 designates a boom having extending therealong va icable 21 which entrains about a" pulley Y22 and which has an end :por-tionslidable through a hole inthe toplink or fastening elementi23t Pivotally mounted on top link 23 areapair of struts or: links .24whose lower endsvare pivotallyiconnected to a pair of shovel elements orclamshells 25. 'The'aclamshells are pivotally connected together, such as by rivets 26, which also provide pivots for a magnetic catch plate or armature 27 in the form of a fiat horizontally extending sheet with upturned pivotally mounted end portions 27a. Plate 27 is of magnetizable material such as steel and is adapted to be magnetically attracted'by magnet 28 which is suspended from the extreme end of cable 31. Figure 8 shows a modification wherein a magnet part 28a is attached to plate27.

In operation, assume that the clamshell bucket is being lowered onto the ground whileempty and with the buckets pivotally spread apart as shown in Figure 7. It will be noted that the magnetic catch plate or armature 27 is verticallyseparated from the magnet 28 during descent of the bucket.

As soon as thebucketthits' the ground, as'shown in Figure 3, furthertlowering movements of cable 21 will move magnet. 28 towards armature 27 until it comes in contact therewith and thus magnetically attracts the armature. Thereafter, upon lifting of cable 21, magnet 28 will carry with it the magnetically attracted armature or magnet catch plate 27 so that as the two are lifted, they will pull the pivot 26 upwardly so as to efiect scooping up of a load of sand or the like and closing of the clamshells (see Fig. 4). Further upward lifting will raise the clamshell assembly and whateverload that is contained within the clamshell until the clamshell assembly reaches its upper-:

most limit of movement, that is, until the top link'23 comes in contact with the relatively stationary boom portion 2011 (see Fig. 6). Thereafter further lifting-movements of cable. 21 will pull magnet 28 away from plate or armature 27 and break the magnetic attraction therebetween since top link 23 is arrested and since the upward pull of cable 21 involvesa force which is greater than the force of magnetic attraction between magnet- 28 and plate 27. Thereupon plate 27 will drop (see Fig. 7), carrying with it pivots 26 which effect opening of the clamshells;

as shown in Figure 7[ Thus the clamshell will release its load onto any desired loading platform and will be in readiness for the next lowering operation for scooping up another load.

Summarizing the operation of the device, the child may selectively operate either the clamshell shovel or the vehicle merely by twisting his wrist while holding the portable remote control housing 13, so as to roll ball 12d laterally to selectively bridge either contacts 12b or 120, which complete circuits through the respective reversible motors of driving units 4.and 8. And depending upon whether button 14a or 14b. of the reversing switch 11 is closed, the respective motors can be driven either in one direction or in an opposite direction to move the vehicle forwardly or rearwardly, or to lift or lower the shovel.

Thus it will be seen that I have provided a completely automatically operated toy steam shovel or'crane includ ing a portable remote control unit including very easy and quickly operated control switches so as to effect either forward. or rearward movement of the vehicle or lifting or lowering movements of a clamshell shovel, and whereby such -lifting and lowering movements ofl-the clamshell shovel will, together with the aid of magnetic elements suspended within the shovel, efiect opening and closing movements of the shovel in an automatic manner; furthermore I have provided a novel clamshell bucket magnetic operating means which efiects automatic opening and closing of the shovel elements so as to provide a high degree of realism to the operation of the toy by the child;

furthermore I have provided a toy crane or steam shovel which is easily operated from a remote position without exertion of manualefiort, and in which the movement of both--the vehicle and shovel are very easily and quickly controlled by a single remote control unit having a minimum number of control elements which are very easily and quickly operated to efiect instantaneous control.

While I have illustrated and described one embodiment of my invention, it will be understood that this is by way of illustration- 01115 .,and-that various changes and modifications-may be made within'the' contemplation of myinventionand within thescope of the following-claims.

I claim:

1. A remotely controlled toy article :handling vehicle,

comprising a-boom :having a'lower'end pivotally mountedwound on a drum, said drum' and a direct cur-rent reversible electric motor moun'ted on said vehicle for selectively rotatingsaid :drumin opposite directions to wind .onunwind' said string-like element, a remote control. unit electri'cally connected to sai'd motor thro'ugh'aflexible cable and including :a reversing switch 'for -controllingfthe direction ofrotation or' said motor, ':a shovel including pivotally connected shovel elements suspended from a suspending "elementslidably'mounted'on amend portion of said stringalike element in vertically spaced relationship with said magnet on the upward movement of the shovel, .said' shovel includingan armature adapted to be attracted: by said magnet to efiect closing of said shovel, said shovel beingarrangedso that when its arm'ature is not attracted by the magnet the shovel elements are automatically opened byxthe action of gravity, s'aid shovel including links pivotally connected at their upper ends to said suspending'element and at their lower ends, to said shovel elements, said slidable suspending element being engageable with a stop portion underneaththetop end of said boom: for limiting upward movement of said suspending element butat the same time permittingupward movementof said magnet assaid string-like element is-pulled upwardly to .break the'magnetic attraction between said magnet and armature and permit said shovel elements to automaticallypivot to the open position to dump the load carried thereby.

2. A remotely controlled toy article handling vehicle, comprising a'boom having a lower end pivotally mounted thereon and having a string-like element extending along said'boom-and having an-end portion suspended from the top end of said boom,.a permanent magnet attached to the extremity of said end portion of the string-like element, the other end' of said string-like element being wound on a drum, said drum mounted on said vehicle, means for selectively rotating said drum in opposite directions to-wind or unwind saidstring-like element, a shovel including pivotally-connected shovel-elements suspended from asuspending-element slidably mountedon an end portion of said string-like element in vertically spaced relationship with said magnet on the upward movement of the shovel, said shovel including an arma-- when its armature is 'not attractedby' the magnet theshovel elements are automatically opened by'the ac tion of gravity, said shovel including links pivotally connected automatically pivot to the open position to dump the load at their upper ends to said suspending element and at carried thereby.

their lower ends, to said shovel elements and to said armature, said slidable suspending element being engage- References Cited the file of thls patent able with a stop portion underneath the top end of said 5 UNITED STATES PATENTS boom for limiting upward movement of said suspending 827,080 Clukies et a1. July 31, 1906 element but at the same time permitting upward move- 2,316,680 Ferri Apr. 13, 1943 ment of said magnet as said string-like element is pulled 2,512,166 Merrill June 20, 1950 upwardly to break the magnetic attraction between said 10 2,623,774 Hubbard Dec. 30, 1952 magnet and armature and permit said shovel elements to 9,712 Schwien et al. June 1, 1954 

